CHIBA (TR) – Chiba Prefectural Police have arrested the vice-speaker of the Sosa City council over the alleged shoplifting of instant coffee from a convenience store, reports TBS News (Feb. 13).
On January 22, Masayoshi Masada, 70, a city councilman and vice-speaker of the Sosa City council, allegedly stole a bag of instant coffee from a convenience store in Sosa City.
The bag of coffee has a value of 581 yen, police said.
Upon his arrest on suspicion of theft, Masada said, “I stole it because I felt it was a waste to pay for it.”
According to police, Masuda hid the coffee inside his jacket in committing the crime.
The incident came to light after the convenience store manager reported, “Someone has been shoplifting multiple times in the space of a month.”
Police are currently investigating whether Masada may have been behind the other thefts.
